Neuro-Linguistic Programming
What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP?
A nice diagram to summarise the processes and interactions of NLP is seen above by the title for those that prefer a visual reference
NLP is a method of influencing brain behaviour (the “neuro” part of the phrase) through the use of language (the “linguistic” part) and other types of communication to enable a person to “recode” the way the brain responds to stimuli (that’s the “programming”) and manifest new and better behaviours. Neuro-Linguistic Programming often incorporates hypnosis and self-hypnosis to help achieve the change (or “programming”) that is wanted.
The name itself encompasses the three most influential areas of human experience the most dominant building blocks toward your perception of the world. These three components are of course Neurology, Language and Programming.
The Neurological system regulates and monitors the bodies functions everything from how we perceive touch, temperature, pain and pleasure through to smell, vision and taste.
Language is an amazingly complex system that allows you to interact with other individuals or groups and the way your language is perceived by other informs their initial views of you and the language that you hear from others dictates to a large degree how you perceive them. Without these truths things such as elocution lessons simply would not exist. Local dialect allows you to perceive a persons likely home or origin just as a yours gives you away. So you can understand how important language is. However it goes further than that in simply the types of words you use as in using positive connotations in your speech rather than negative will allow you to be perceived as a better person to be around whom people are more likely to be friendly toward.
Programming, this essentially describes the connections between mind or the Neurology and speech or Language and the ways in which the two interact to produce our actions and responses.
Through understanding these truths we can begin to focus on our personal programming and our language and by taking ownership of them and affecting change we can attempt to alter our Neurology allowing us to think differently. This can help us to switch from seeing something as a negative to understanding the positives it may produce.
Dr Richard Bandler and John Grinder invented the term “Neuro-Linguistic Programming” in the 1970s. Dr Bandler was recently asked to write the definition of Neuro-Linguistic Programming that appears in the Oxford English Dictionary.
It says:
Neuro-Linguistic Programming: “a model of interpersonal communication chiefly concerned with the relationship between successful patterns of behaviour and the subjective experiences (esp. patterns of thought) underlying them” and “a system of alternative therapy based on this which seeks to educate people in self-awareness and effective communication, and to change their patterns of mental and emotional behaviour.”
